title: Cytokine responses in Trypanosoma cruzi-infected children in Paraguay.
abstract: Both parasite and host immune factors may contribute to the development and progression of chronic chagasic cardiomyopathy during Trypanosoma cruzi infections. The present study targeted infected children (5-14 years of age) from an endemic area of Paraguay in an analysis of T. cruzi-specific cytokine profiles. This age group is characteristically the most affected by the early phases of infection. Trypanosoma cruzi-induced cytokine gene expression (interleukin-2 [IL-2], and interferon-gamma [IFN-gamma], IL-4, and IL-10) was studied in 25 seropositive children categorized as being either acute, symptomatic, with Romana's sign (n = 2), or early, indeterminate (postacute, n = 23). Acutely infected children showed a distinct T helper cell-1 (Th1)-type (IFN-gamma) cytokine response to infection. The cytokine pattern that was observed in the seropositive, asymptomatic (early, indeterminate) group was of the Th0 type (expression of both IFN-gamma and IL-4). We hypothesize that selective induction of a Th0-type cytokine pattern is important for development of cell-mediated and humoral immune responses that suppress parasite burden, thereby prolonging the onset or limiting the severity of chronic Chagas' disease later in life.
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Salud, Asuncion, Paraguay.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Samudio
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Montenegro-James
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cabral
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Martinez
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rojas de Arias
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: James
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000818:Animals; D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan / Q000032:analysis / Q000276:immunology; D014355:Chagas Disease / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D006801:Humans; D007111:Immunity, Cellular; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000378:metabolism*; D016753:Interleukin-10 / Q000378:metabolism*; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000378:metabolism*; D015847:Interleukin-4 / Q000378:metabolism*; D010239:Paraguay / Q000453:epidemiology; D018417:Th1 Cells / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D014349:Trypanosoma cruzi / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan; D007376:Interleukin-2; D016753:Interleukin-10; D015847:Interleukin-4; D007371:Interferon-gamma